 Hailey Loftin
Features Editor The meetings between Apex and Cary this basketball season have been dominated by the Imps. The first game between the two resulted in a win for Cary by twelve points. On Jan.28, the game ended with a 79-78 overtime loss for the Cougars. Against the then-undefeated Imps, an overtime loss by one point was nothing to be upset about. Any meetings between the Cougars and the Imps have always been rivalry games. For boys’ basketball, the Cougars lead the series 12-5 (since 2004). Leading up to the championship game, neither team seemed to have much trouble defeating their opponents. Apex beat Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs by ten points and fourteen points, respectively. Cary beat Athens Drive by twenty points and Panther Creek by twenty-two points. Cary was the one seed, and Apex was the two seed; there were no surprises in who was playing for the championship.  Meenakshi Sathish
Staff Writer The recent outbreak of the Zika virus has created turbulence in both medical and political fields. The virus is similar to the dengue virus as it is spread by the same mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes), and then the illness goes away within a couple of days. What they are finding now is that this virus can be sexually transmitted and is spreading explosively. The movement to find a cure to the disease and a solution to keep rest of the population safe has been in the news on every channel. The issue on whether athletes from Zika-infected regions should participate in the coming Olympics is resulting in heated debates. However, through this impetuous progression, the true colors of women’s rights and its correlation with socio-economic static are starting to emerge. One of the places where Zika viruses are often found is in Brazil, which is also home to the world’s strictest abortion laws.  Drew Chegash
Staff Writer Senior year is without a doubt a year full of emotions and packed full of reflections. Ask any adult, and they will tell you that high school is “the fastest four years of your life.” As we get caught up with sports, clubs, friends, and most importantly, school work, we find ourselves wondering where it all went. The constant five minute dash to our next class or the late nights to meet the deadline that you forgot about has put the past four years into a time frame that feels like an hour. As a result of this temporary fast paced way of life we have become accustomed to, we seem to forget some important moments that changed us since that hot day in August of 2012 that marked the next chapter in our lives.  Sophia Shaikh
Staff Writer On Feb. 13, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away at the age of seventy-nine. He is survived by his wife, Maureen Scalia, and nine children. He had served on the Supreme Court since 1986 after being appointed by former president Ronald Reagan. He was known for being conservative and upholding the idea of originalism, that the Constitution should be interpreted based on what it meant to its original founders. Scalia’s death has raised many questions about who will take his place as a new justice. Justices in the Supreme Court are appointed by the president but must also gain approval from the Senate. Nominees chosen by the president usually have a hearing in the Senate where senators evaluate them to determine if they would make a suitable justice or not. At any other time, president Barack Obama would choose a new justice to be sent to the Senate for a hearing, but political tensions are high right now with the presidential election coming up in November. There is dissent in the Senate on whether the new justice should be appointed by Obama or the upcoming president.  Dylan Snyder
Staff Writer Many people claim to not like one type of music or another just because they say it is the same thing or all that artists talks about is the same. Some others like myself just listen to the music and put that fact aside. Yes, the songs may all be “the same,” but there is always a slight difference. A person could also listen because the tune itself is catchy or sounds good with the words. They often get stuck in your head, and you end up liking the song them afterwards. Still others just listen to all the songs put out by an artist because they have learned to like them from their past songs or have a personal connection. Many people from Cleveland like MGK because he is from there, people around here like J. cole and others may feel a connection to an artist because they have the same type of life experiences or similar situations. In any type of music , those artists who are unique or stand out become most popular.  Nick Stines
News Editor The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice. This is popularly believed to declare peace, but this is no more or less than a ceasefire. Since then, North and South Korea have remained divided at the 38th Parallel, more commonly known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The DMZ remains the most dangerous border in the world, and two North Korean soldiers stand face-to-face on the only remotely safe part of the border in order to prevent one another from defecting to South Korea. Defection could potentially tip off aggression, and citizens on the Northern side are defecting by climbing electric fences and going across mine fields. North Korea has been under the Kim dynasty since 1948. In the 1930’s Kim Il-sung rebelled against Japanese-fascist influence which led to North Korea’s communist indoctrination from Joseph Stalin which is heavily present to this day.  Naima Muminiy
Staff Writer “Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” This quote was in To Kill a Mocking Bird, book of the late Harper Lee who passed away on Feb. 19, 2016. To Kill a Mockingbird being her most notable novel, Lee has changed the world with her literary talents touching serious themes such as the loss of innocence, racial inequality, gender roles, and courage. Lee has left an impact on our western culture and classic American literature. Her legacy deserves to be recognized.  Henry McKeand
Editor-in-Chief and A&E Editor The staff and students of Apex High knew that the Staffsketball game last Thursday would be a fun spectacle, but no one could have predicted what a good game it would really be. For one, the game had a huge turnout, filling up the gym with over six-hundred students. The action on the court, however, was more intense than expected. The Black and Gold teams, coached by Elle Hepburn and Ian Boyd, respectively, were virtually neck-and-neck the entire game, but the Gold team eventually prevailed thanks to rock-solid teamwork and the aggressive play style of science teacher and Staffsketball M.V.P. Frederick Blanks. Both teams put their all into the game, and it was great to see the teachers play with that level of heart. Basketball coach Forrest Moog was not surprised at all by the Gold Team’s close win, saying, “They are our archrivals in the conference. Every year it’s a great game; it’s tight whether it’s here or away. It’s a tradition, but I told everyone beforehand that the Gold Team is just better looking. Honestly, when you know you’re going to win it’s not as exciting, but it still feels good.”  Ashton Baysden
Staff Writer Warmer weather is approaching, which can only mean one thing: concert season is beginning. In North Carolina, attending concerts is a favorite pastime during spring and summer, especially among Apex students. Whether it is a country concert or a rap concert, students love spending their Friday nights with their friends, listening to artists that they love. Although, this raises the question: what concerts are students going to be attending this year? A particular favorite series of concerts among students is the country concerts of the summer, and they are making their return this year. The lineup for this year’s Country Megaticket was announced in late January, and Apex students are excited about it, to say the least. This is a ticket that allows buyers entry into the hottest country concerts of the season. The lineup for the 2016 Megaticket includes some of the public’s favorite country music artists, such as Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert. Country artists who are relatively new to the spotlight are also making guest appearances throughout the Megaticket shows, such as Jerrod Niemann. The local shows included in the ticket will be located at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh.  McKenzie Feldman
Staff Writer Apex’s very own FCCLA team won North Carolina’s FCCLA Culinary Competition on Feb. 12, 2016. Apex’s team consisted of sophomore Claire Garner, sophomore Alyssa Killingsworth, and junior Megan Hirst. The competition was located in Charlotte, North Carolina at Johnson and Wales University. Nine teams went head to head and had one hour to complete the recipe. The recipe that was chosen was steak with Dijon shallot sauce with green beans, mushrooms, caesar salad, and lady fingers as side dishes. The team will attend the national competition in San Diego this summer. I talked to team member Claire Garner to get the inside scoop of what she took away from the experience. What was the process behind getting on the Apex FCCLA competition team? “To get on the team, we had to choose a recipe to make from the menu. After making the dish, we would be judged by other teachers to see which plates were the best. Luckily only three people were interested in taking on this challenge, each then deserving a spot on the team. From there blood, sweat, and some tears were shed as we put hard work and lots of practice into preparing for this competition.” |
